Disclaimer: As I'm sure my readers know by now, I own no part of InuYasha, other than some of the books…
Fear, pain, darkness, anger, death…
Slowly the vision became clearly, slightly. At first it had simply been instinct identifying it, but now there were colors. Colors, and sound…
A woman clad in a sari was sprawled out on the ground, her midnight-black hair in a chaotic, every-which-way kind of 'pattern'. Behind her there was a bundle of blankets, that, despite her fear, she seemed to be trying to protect.
"Kagome's my daughter!" She screamed. Her brown eyes fluttered open and shut. It was clear that this woman's name was something rather exotic, and that it was strange. Something starting with a 'k', perhaps… "You will not take her from me as long as I live!"
Lightning flashed, illuminating the figure clad in black armor. This figure was holding a long, extremely sharp sword. The woman swallowed as the sword pressed against her rather elegant neck. Even under the helmet it could be seen that a sickening, blood-curdling grin was forming on the man's face, showing fangs.
"Death will loosen your grip, then. And as you know, betrayers die, Kikyo." Said the man in a voice that sounded rather like velvet, and made all fear melt away, made it want to be forgotten. It made you want to drown in the sound of it.
The woman screamed, but it was cut off by the sound of gurgling, and as the blood started to cover her, the instinct feeling came back as detail washed away...
Escape, hurry, evade, ANYTHING!…
Kagome sat bold upright, shaking herself out of her dream state. Cold sweat trickled down her sides, tickling her, and making her want to move, though she feared she might wake the others in the room. Her breathing was rapid, but her heart was pounding even faster in its shell. She looked around the gloomy, dank room. She smiled the relief as she saw her surroundings. She was where she had been all her life, in the Emperor's Harem. She touched her chest lightly, as if that would make her heart slow its pase. She lay back down, her mind buzzing. She'd been having that same dream a few nights, and it left her unnerved, and unhappy. She couldn't understand why she was having that dream, though. She knew who her mother was, her mother's name was Ai Higurashi, and she was a Harem girl, along with her mother, as long as the line was recorded. They were always bred with other men so that royalty didn't risk creating a deformed child. Her breathing was even now, and the tips of her fingers, and toes had stopped tingling. She sighed heavily. She always got emotional when the other Harem girls got their night in shining armor. Just recently her best friend Yuka had been bought but her secret lover, and they'd gotten married. Kagome had kind of liked her boyfriend, he seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was boring. She tried for a moment to place hit name. Hajhon? Hako? Houjo? Ah, Hojo, that was it. She longed for romance so that she could get out of the godforsaken Harem before she was old enough to actually count as a Harem girl, but that wasn't going to happen. Today was her fifteenth birthday, and that was the 'coming of age'. Kagome sighed, and tried to go back to bed. Anything was better to think about than what she was going to have to do every few days…
…
Sunlight filtered through the high windows in the Harem. The windows were high, and stained glass. It was new to color glass and make patterned windows, and the Harem was one of the only placed that had these windows yet. The women, and younger girls all marveled at it still as the flecks of light found their way down in chips, and bits of different colors. The patterns were lost in the radiance of the colors, and texture, but if you stood and stared at the window long enough you might be able to figure it out. No one in the Harem had done this yet.
A couple of women were practicing – and instructing others – belly dancing. It was fascinating to watch, really. Kagome couldn't remember her mother, but she was told over and over that Ai had been a pro, and they could never understand why Kagome had not gotten Ai's feet. Instead she'd received clumsy feet, and hands! It was rather unfair. It was her turn right now to be instructed. She wasn't awful, but she kept stumbling as she shifted her wait to move, of she made a sudden movement. She nearly lost her balance once or twice, but she'd gotten better at incorporating that into her dance so that it was barely noticeable. The instructor, Eri, notice. Eri had a heart-shaped face, framed by short-cut black hair giving her a very nice face, but she had her way of manipulation, and one of the more subtle ways was to hit you with a ruler, which she did at that moment. Kagome shot her a glare, but didn't break her step. Eri wasn't really an instructor; she was simply better than ever other girl. She was a few months younger than Kagome, and Kagome resented her every time she corrected her. It mainly had to do with the culture, however few of the women here had been outside enough to know the culture.
Kagome always felt guilty, and relived when she practiced with Ayumi, however. Ayumi was a sweet-faced girl, who was prettier that Eri or Kagome, but seemed to have no control over her own body. Her hair was slightly wavy, and a lighter brown than anyone else's. Her eyes glimmered more, and generally she seemed more desirable, but she could hardly stand on her own, let alone belly dance! The poor girl was nearly hopeless. She would sway her hips and flail her arms just to stay upright. Eri would have her arm sore after how many time she smacked Ayumi, and would have no time to hit Kagome, however Kagome never wanted to watch Ayumi get hit that much.
Aside from this practice, all these girls were rather close friends. You have to be close with someone in the Harem if you're there. After all, you hardly see anyone else at all…
Yuka had been part of that little circle, and Kagome had quite enjoyed her, because Yuka was generally more compatible with her, but that girl was always distant, and now they knew why.
Then it happened… Kagome felt light prickles in the back of her neck, and felt an ominous wind blow as the Harem doors were thrown open. A smooth, easy to get along with voice spoke, but Kagome couldn't make out the words. She knew that they were to bow, which everyone in the Harem did. However Kagome Had developed a way to look even from this position. She saw one of the senior women rise and speak with the man. Kagome's eyes flickered to Eri, who was looking at her. They had a sort of facial language. Eri motioned with her eyes to the man, and raised her eyebrows. That meant 'what are they talking about'. Kagome made a sort of facial shrug, and continued to watch. The woman pointed in her general direction and muttered something else.
"Higurashi!" Came a voice. Kagome rose in a jolt, her body moving of its own accord.
"Yes, O great lord?" She asked. The man looked shocked, and took a step back. There were several ways to say that, and he seemed to be expecting 'Your reverence', or 'O Most Powerful Of men', which were more common. Kagome didn't let her confusion show through to her face, though.
"How old are you?" He asked. Kagome hesitated.
"I am fifteen today, O vigilant slayer of evil!" She said. The man seemed to have to resist taking another step back. Kagome's eyes blazed blue.
Something she was never really sure of. Generally her eyes were brown, but on occasion they turned blue. There was no good reason for that, really…
The man cleared his throat. "Come with me." He said. He turned and began walking.
With one last look back at her friends, she followed. Ayumi didn't realize what was going on. She could be dense… But Eri looked sympathetic to her and nodded sadly.
Generally the Harem girls made new friends once they were used. They abandoned their old friends. Kagome sighed, and followed the man through the long corridors.
I never want that to happen to me… I like my friends…
End Chapter OneHope you like it… It's kinda slow, I admit, but this is the first chapter, after all… Well, tell me what you think!
Miko-Chan